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Konstance Patton was among this year’s six Cast Iron Partner Award recipients for distinguished service to the community announced at SoHo Broadway Initiative’s 8th Annual Meeting and presented at the SoHo Broadway Holiday Social. We caught up with Konstance to learn about what brought her to SoHo and her involvement in the community.
Year of arrival on SoHo Broadway: 2005
What brought you to SoHo Broadway? What do you do here?
I came to New York City in 2005, and I made SoHo one of my home bases immediately. It’s so inspiring, and so many of the most important artists of our time roamed the SoHo streets. I came to SoHo to be one of the greats, to inspire and create beautiful and dynamic artworks. I’m a painter, sculptor, and storyteller, and I love to bring people together with art.
What does your organization do?
My organization, SoHo Renaissance Factory (SRF), is an artist collective who came together to build street museums on the plywood covering SoHo. SRF was founded by myself and 4 of my friends in June 2020 during the shutdowns, with the aim to bring beauty to the people during such a scary time in history.
What do you like about SoHo Broadway?
I just love the energy of SoHo Broadway so much, it is like electricity. So many personalities and of course the art, from the galleries to the street art, always stays fresh. So many walks of life visit the community. It’s just a great place for a creative.
What is your favorite SoHo Broadway memory or experience?
My favorite memory was seeing my artwork hung as a banner in the SoHo Broadway corridor. It was everything! There were 5 in total, but my favorite moment was seeing the banner that was on Broadway just south of Houston. From Houston and Broadway it looked like my Goddezz Painting was welcoming us all to the neighborhood, and she was.
If you had 20 minutes, where would you go?
If I had 20 minutes I would walk from Houston down Broadway, then cut over to Crosby and enjoy all the beautiful street art. I’d spend at least a few minutes on a stoop with a coffee, chilling and people watching.
What should we know about you outside of working here? What do you do for fun or are you looking forward to doing?
People should look out for my projects including Be A Lover Fest, a street art festival based in SoHo (the 2023 edition will be absolutely lovely). I host pop ups with CocoRedoux, where artists customize vintage pieces, and a part of the proceeds goes to charity. I am always looking to collaborate with like minded people who want to make our world better. Find me on Instagram at @KonArtStudio
